Mundas
Dialects spoken by the Munda people
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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 9 million (estimated) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India | 9,000,000 |
| Bangladesh | 142,000 |
| Nepal | 1,900 |
| Bhutan | 1,800 |
| United States | 500 |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
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| Related ethnic groups | |
The Munda people are an Adivasi ethnic group who originated in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region of north-east India. They originally spoke the Mundari language, which belongs to the Munda subgroup of Austroasiatic languages. The Munda are found across Jharkhand and in adjacent parts of Assam, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and portions of Bangladesh. The group is one of India's largest tea tribes.
Munda people in Tripura are also known as Mura, and in Madhya Pradesh they are often called Mudas. Their late-20th-century population was estimated at nine million.
According to Ricio et al. (2011), the Munda people are probably descended from Austroasiatic migrants from southeast Asia. Nomadic hunters in the India tribal belt, they became farmers who were employed in basketwork and weaving. With the listing of the Munda people as part of the Scheduled Tribes (Adivasi), many are employed in various governmental organizations (particularly Indian Railways).
Munda religion is a blend of Sarnaism and Christianity, and they are not part of the Indian caste system. Although the Munda have preserved much of their pre-Christian culture, they have absorbed a number of Christian traditions. They have many folk songs, dances, tales and traditional musical instruments. Both sexes participate in dances at social events and festivals. The naqareh is a principal musical instrument.
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